- Members of Solidarity travelled to the United Nations in Geneva to lodge a complaint with the International Labour Organisation (ILO)
- Solidarity Chief Executive Officer Dirk Hermann said the complaint centred around the government being in contempt of court and disregarding international processes
- South Africans took to social media to share mixed reactions about the reason behind Solidarity’s complaint about the government
Source: Twitter
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
SWITZERLAND – Solidarity has lodged a formal complaint against the South African government with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at the United Nations in Geneva, sparking mixed reactions on social media.
The union lodged the complaint on 18 May 2026, saying that the government breached an agreement related to racial legislation. According to Solidarity, the agreement was concluded under ILO supervision in 2023, and a court order was later made.
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What did the agreement stipulate?
Solidarity noted that the agreement stipulated that racial laws should be temporary in nature; that no person should be dismissed based on race; that race should not be the sole criterion for appointments, and that skills should also be considered.
It also required that the provisions be published as regulations in the Government Gazette, but Solidarity claimed that this was never done.
Solidarity Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dirk Hermann says the government’s failure to publish the agreement amounted to contempt of court and disregard for international processes.
Source: Twitter
Solidarity wants affirmative action policies reviewed
Speaking about the union’s decision, Deputy CEO Anton van der Bijl said they believed that affirmative action policies should be reviewed.
“What we say is, if you look at South Africa, there can be no doubt that affirmative action has not worked – if you look simply at our unemployment rate, you’ll see that we are one of the most unemployed countries in the world.
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“So, we say something is not working, we need to have a debate with affirmative action, and if it’s not working, what should we do otherwise?”
He added that Solidarity wanted the debates to happen until 2030, and thereafter, there should be no affirmative action policies based on race.
South Africans react to Solidarity’s decision
Social media users weighed in on Solidarity’s decision, sharing mixed reactions to it.
Nontobeko Dlamini said:
“Those laws were put in place to rectify previous inequalities.”
Themba Nkuna agreed:
“The South African government will be able to explain itself and justify those laws. We all know that those laws are there to redress the injustices of the past.”
Sipho Shimi Kunene added:
“I think it’s fair and well. Whilst at it, they must also address the issue of inequality (the highest in the world) and land ownership according to race.”
Nthokolose Marope stated:
“They should have done that before they ran to Trump.”
@SA_Greatness said:
“This is a more constructive approach than running to Trump. SA believes in international law. We’ll abide by the decisions of bodies we signed up to through treaties.”
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@Emmy_Jiyane added:
“We understand the effects and legacy of Apartheid, but we can also understand where some of their concerns come from. The bigger question is, how do we guarantee fairness for everyone in a country where much of the economy and business ownership is still concentrated in white hands?”
@Gifted_Cynic claimed:
“This is the kind of approach we should use internationally to hold African leaders accountable regarding their citizens fleeing their leadership. Which, as a result, leads to rampant illegal immigration to our beloved country.”
Other stories about Solidarity
Briefly News has reported on several stories involving Solidarity, particularly regarding their stance on the government.
Source: Briefly News
